dragbike magneto

Today on ebay i noticed that there was a belt driven magneto from a dragbike. I also noticed one in the rare parts post. I understand what its purpose is, but is this a better system than your average battery run system? Also, do they still sell systems like this. I have had no luck finding any, plus i would like to have one because they look friggin awesomeB)

its nostalgic mostly,im a sucker for the look.newer electronic stuff is much better

jordan, the only reason they ran magneto's back then was the ignition systems of the time wern't good enough to fire alcohol or nitro consistently when the cylinder pressures were very high due to the use of blowers and turbos. the standard ignitions of the time would tend to break up and cause major engine damage. the magneto was used because the faster it spins the more voltage it produces. one of the major drawbacks of the magneto was the drive mechanism it added extra stress on the crankshaft. also it had more moving parts so it was more complicated. as ignition systems got better and produced more consistent voltage the need for them went away.

The Magneto would also change the firing order to a single fire (like an automotive distributor) instead of the wasted spark that the stock coils have.
They sure do look cool though. This one is a Mallory Sprint mag and would shoot a spark about an inch long (when spun by hand). The only "problem" this one had was the timing was fixed (no advance) and was more of a Drag Racing only item and wasnt as "street-able" as a Dyna S. I got rid of it beacuse of the fixed timing and with it hanging off the side of the engine, made a BIG engine look even BIGGER.
Back in the day, there was also distributors made for the KZ. Same type of set up, they just used a std. 4 cylinder disctibutor and single coil like a car. RC Egineering also made a distributor drive that replaced the points set up and had the dist. driven off the crank with a 90 degree gear set up (no belt drive like pictured)
Fish